• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Book Club
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • HOLIDAYS
  • BOOK CLUB
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • HOLIDAYS
    • BOOK CLUB
    • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sandwiches

    Open Face Turkey Sandwich with Gravy

    Published: Nov 13, 2022 · Modified: Feb 20, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

    • Share
    • Email Friend!
    Jump to Recipe - Pin Recipe

    Make an open face turkey sandwich with gravy when you've got a fridge full of leftover turkey breast and gravy from Thanksgiving. This popular diner staple is actually the perfect comfort food any time of year.

    A piece of sourdough bread has chunks of turkey meat and gravy on top.

    As much as we love Thanksgiving, my kids insist that the next day's open face turkey sandwiches with gravy are the best part of the holiday.

    When I've got a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers, this is the very first thing we make.

    This year, we got a hankering for this dish long before Thanksgiving arrived. When I discovered just how easy a slowcooker turkey breast can be to make, this open face sandwich was next on the menu for the week.

    Now I can make this family favorite dinner any time of the year! No need to wait for a big holiday dinner.

    Jump to:
    • What is an "Open Face Sandwich"?
    • The Best Turkey and Gravy
    • The Best Bread
    • How to Make the Open Face Sandwich
    • Should You Toast the Bread?
    • Variations
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What is an "Open Face Sandwich"?

    This popular dish can often be found on old school diner menus.

    Sometimes featured as the 'blue plate special' of the day, an open face sandwich is a slice of bread covered with meat and a drizzle of gravy over the top.

    You eat an open face sandwich with a fork and knife instead of picking it up with your hands because the gravy can make a drippy mess.

    Open face sandwiches are especially delicious because the bread soaks up all that lovely gravy. It is pure, heavenly, comfort food at it's finest.

    The Best Turkey and Gravy

    While there are open face sandwich variations, we believe the most classic and delicious one is a Thanksgiving leftovers turkey sandwich.

    While you could use the full Thanksgiving herb turkey recipe for a holiday dinner and plan leftovers for these sandwiches, there's an even easier way.

    Pop a much smaller boneless turkey breast into your Crock pot and make my super-easy slowcooker turkey breast recipe with just a few minutes of prep time.

    The Crockpot turkey still has plenty of drippings for you to make my totally delicious turkey gravy.

    • Two slices of slow cooked turkey breast are on a plate drizzled with gravy.
      Slowcooker Boneless Turkey Breast
    • A roasted turkey sits in a metal roasting pan, golden brown all over.
      Roasted Herb Butter Turkey
    • A full plate of Thanksgiving dishes drizzled with homemade gravy.
      Easy Homemade Gravy for Beginners

    The Best Bread

    Once you have your turkey and gravy sorted out, the next step is to plan which bread you plan to use for the base of the open face sandwich.

    Our top two favorites include a slice of our easy bread machine Italian bread or a slice of our homemade sourdough bread. You can find the recipe for the sourdough in The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook.

    If neither of those suit your fancy, delicious alternatives would include:

    • Homemade Ciabatta: This hearty bread will taste best if you toast it before using it as an open face sandwich bread. The crispy bread will soak up the gravy even better.
    • Steakhouse Brown Bread: If you want a little more color in your dish and a deeper, richer flavor to your bread, the subtle sweetness of this bread would be utterly delicious with the turkey and gravy.
    • Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls: If you love the nutty flavor of whole wheat, you could split one of these delicious rolls in half and use that as your open face sandwich base.
    • A loaf of bread machine Italian bread sits in a basket next to a few sample wedges near a plate of olive oil for dipping.
      Bread Machine Italian Bread
    • A sliced loaf of fresh ciabatta bread has been prepared in the bread machine and baked in the oven.
      Easy Ciabatta {Bread Machine}
    • The steakhouse brown bread sits in a dish covered by a napkin with a knife on the side.
      Steakhouse Brown Bread
    • Easy Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

    How to Make the Open Face Sandwich

    Add the gravy to a saucepan and heat it up over medium heat.

    Whisk as it warms up so it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.

    If the gravy is too thick, simply add a splash of chicken stock to loosen it up a bit.

    Add the leftover turkey meat to the sauce pan to warm through. We love to slice our turkey into fairly thick slices so they will break into larger chunks when we reheat them.

    You could crumble the turkey before adding it to the gravy, or you could break it up with a spoon as it warms through.

    Either way, just be careful while stirring the turkey in the gravy because you don't want it to break up too much. Thicker chunks of meat are much more delicious.

    To assemble the sandwich, simply place the bread slices you want to use in a large dinner bowl.

    Spoon the gravy and turkey over the top and serve immediately since the gravy will begin to soften the bread right away.

    A bowl filled with an open face turkey sandwich has a fork on the side.

    Should You Toast the Bread?

    We LOVE a simple open face sandwich with just plain sliced bread. The softness of the bread soaks up the gravy and is very comforting.

    However, if you prefer a little more texture and crunch to your dinner, you could simply toast the bread in a toaster or toast lots of pieces at one time on a baking sheet in your oven.

    This is very much just a matter of preference.

    Variations

    If you happen to have lots of leftovers from a big meal like Thanksgiving dinner, you may have a few other items that would taste delicious on your open face sandwich.

    You could add a layer of mashed potatoes on top of the bread before the turkey and gravy.

    A spoonful of green bean casserole would also be delicious, especially with the crispy onions.

    And I personally love a dollop of cranberry sauce in my open face turkey sandwich.

    • A serving of crispy green bean casserole is in a blue dish with a fork.
      Crispy Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
    • A silver Crockpot has finished mashed potatoes that are sprinkled with fresh chives and two pats of butter.
      Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
    • A pot of fresh cranberries is cooking with a wooden spoon to stir.
      Cranberry Sauce with Grand Marnier

    📖 Recipe

    A piece of sourdough bread has chunks of turkey meat and gravy on top.

    Open Face Turkey Sandwich

    5 from 1 vote
    These open face turkey sandwiches with gravy are the perfect way to use up leftover turkey breast and Thanksgiving gravy but also make a delicious and easy dinner any night of the year.
    TOTAL TIME 5 minutes
    PREP TIME 5 minutes
    YIELD 4 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup turkey gravy
    • 6 - 8 slices of leftover turkey breast broken into chunks
    • 4 large or 8 small slices of bread we love Italian or sourdough bread in particular
    • Salt and Pepper

    Optional: Thanksgiving Leftovers Mix & Match Toppings

    • 1 cup prepared mashed potatoes
    • 1 cup green bean casserole
    • ¼ cup cranberry sauce

    Instructions

    • Place the gravy in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk it until warmed through, about 3 minutes. If the leftover gravy is too thick, you can add a splash of chicken broth if desired.
    • Add the turkey breast to the saucepan and gently stir it in with a large spoon. Let the meat warm through, about 2 minutes.
    • Place 1 large sandwich sized slice of bread or 2 smaller artisan loaf slices in each of 4 dinner bowls. Evenly divide and spoon the turkey and gravy over each bread slice.
    • Serve immediately with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

    OPTIONAL:

    • If you have a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers, warmed up mashed potatoes or green bean casserole can make an excellent layer over the bread with the turkey and gravy spooned over the top.
    • I also love to add a dollop of leftover cranberry sauce when we have it.
    COURSESandwiches
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

    Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box

    Find this delicious recipe next time you visit by saving it to your very own recipe box on my site. All your favorites stored in one easy place!

    SAVE THIS RECIPESaved!

    More Sandwich Recipes

    • A dinner plate with two pizza buns and caesar salad.
      Homemade Pizza Buns Stuffed with Pepperoni
    • A slowcooker sits on a wooden cutting board. There's a ladle and a plate full of sandwich buns sitting next to it.
      16 Crock Pot Sandwiches
    • A sloppy joe sandwich on a soft bun has some filling dripping onto the plate and potato chips on the side.
      Crock Pot Sloppy Joes
    • A perfect BLT sandwich sits on a white plate.
      Classic BLT Sandwich

    Reader Interactions

    Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

    What's Trending Now

    • The photo collage showcases 4 easter breads on serving platters.
      14 Easy Easter Bread Recipes for Beginners
    • A blue baking dish filled with mac and cheese with bread crumb topping. A serving spoon has removed a portion to show the creamy elbow noodles.
      Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
    • An easter bunny in a photo collage next to several potluck recipes.
      Easter Potluck Ideas: 30 Recipes that Travel Well
    • A photo collage shows a carrot cake on an Easter table next to photos of other traditional desserts.
      16 Traditional Easter Desserts You Can Make-Ahead

    Popular

    • A freezer-friendly metal pan holds an 8x8-inch apple crisp with crumble topping.
      Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • A stack of the best books for book club in 2023
      Best Book Club Picks 2023
    • A taco salad made with mini frozen tacos.
      10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • A photo collage shows a table set with ground beef taco fillings and tortilla shells on a pan next to alternative taco tuesday recipes ideas.
      30 Taco Tuesday Recipes for a Family Fiesta
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A meal train dinner kit featuring supplies for tacos sits in an aluminum tray for delivery.
      30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • Harry Potter themed snacks are in a platter with a witch hat sitting next to an open copy of a Harry Potter book.
      21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    As Seen On

    The Taste of Home Logo
    The Pioneer Woman Logo
    The Country Living Logo
    The Buzzfeed logo
    The Good Housekeeping Logo

    About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Contact
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
    Terms of Service

    Favorites

    Bread Recipes
    Soup Recipes
    Quick Dinner Recipes
    Harry Potter Fan Club
    Reading with Kids

    Holidays

    Easter Recipes
    4th of July Recipes
    Catholic Celebrations
    Thanksgiving Recipes
    Christmas Recipes

    Recipes

    Appetizers
    Dinners
    Main Dishes
    Salads
    Side Dishes
    Desserts
    Brunch
    Homemade Pantry

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2023